Ryan Spooner | Center | #51

Latest News

Recent News

Boston has made Ryan Spooner's contract signing official.

It is indeed a one-year deal worth $2.825 million, which was initially reported by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman this morning. "We are pleased with the process and are happy to have Ryan's contract resolved. His agent, Murray Kuntz, and Ryan were both very professional, and our group was well prepared as they had worked very diligently prior to arriving at a settlement point," said GM Don Sweeney. "We know Ryan has the offensive skills to be an impactful player, especially while on the power play. We expect Ryan to continue to take the necessary steps with his development to be an even more complete, two-way player." Spooner took a step back last season with 39 points in 78 games after he had 49 points over 80 matches in 2015-16. He will have to be better this year because the Bruins have other players in the pipeline looking to move up and take his place. Jul 26 - 3:12 PM

Ryan Spooner and the Bruins have reportedly avoided going to arbitration and have settled on a new deal.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports that the Bruins have agreed to a one-year, $2.825 million contract. That would put both sides in the middle of what they were seeking from arbitration. Spooner had 11 goals and 39 points in 78 games last season. Jul 26 - 11:13 AM

Ryan Spooner and the Bruins appear to be heading for salary arbitration.

The two sides may not be able to bridge the gap before his hearing takes place on Wednesday. Spooner has asked for $3.85 million and Boston put in a request for a one-year, $2 million award. However, it's still possible that a new deal could be worked out before or after the arbitrator makes a ruling. Jul 25 - 10:15 AM

Ryan Spooner is expected to get between $2.7 million and $3.5 million for the 2017-18 campaign.

Spooner is coming off a two-year, $1.9 million contract, so that will represent a substantial raise for him. He had 11 goals and 39 points in 78 contests in 2016-17, but he also spent time as a healthy scratch during the playoffs. He's set to go for arbitration on July 26, so it will be interesting to see if the two sides can work out a compromise before the hearing. Jul 17 - 4:11 AM

Player News

Ryan Spooner and the Bruins have reportedly avoided going to arbitration and have settled on a new deal.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reports that the Bruins have agreed to a one-year, $2.825 million contract. That would put both sides in the middle of what they were seeking from arbitration. Spooner had 11 goals and 39 points in 78 games last season.

Ryan Spooner and the Bruins appear to be heading for salary arbitration.

The two sides may not be able to bridge the gap before his hearing takes place on Wednesday. Spooner has asked for $3.85 million and Boston put in a request for a one-year, $2 million award. However, it's still possible that a new deal could be worked out before or after the arbitrator makes a ruling.

Ryan Spooner is expected to get between $2.7 million and $3.5 million for the 2017-18 campaign.

Spooner is coming off a two-year, $1.9 million contract, so that will represent a substantial raise for him. He had 11 goals and 39 points in 78 contests in 2016-17, but he also spent time as a healthy scratch during the playoffs. He's set to go for arbitration on July 26, so it will be interesting to see if the two sides can work out a compromise before the hearing.

In other words the Bruins and Spooner have a little over two weeks left to come to terms if they want to avoid a hearing. Spooner is likely to get a significant raise from his previous two-year, $1.9 million contract, but his future with the Bruins is in question given that he spent some time as a healthy scratch during the playoffs.

The Boston Bruins are reportedly listening to offers for Ryan Spooner.

Spooner is eligible to become a restricted free agent this summer and the Bruins might not re-sign him even if they don't trade him. Spooner, 25, took a step back in terms of offensive production in 2016-17 with 11 goals and 39 points in 78 contests. In the playoffs he ended up being listed as a healthy scratch in Games 5 and 6, highlighting just how far he had fallen in the team's depth charts. Some of the teams that might be interested in his services include New Jersey, Vancouver, and Las Vegas.

If Ryan Spooner is back with the Bruins next season then team president Cam Neely expects him to be better.

"Whether it's that player being more consistent or an upgrade of a player being more consistent, yeah," Neely said. "You see the depth of a successful team, you need that depth. Ryan's done a great job on the power play, but there's more to the game than just being a specialty player. I think if we get some help in that regard, it will be beneficial for the team." Spooner will be a restricted free agent this summer and could still return to Boston.

Ryan Spooner might have played in his last game with the Boston Bruins.

Spooner was scratched for Game 5 and then held out of Game 6 as well despite the fact that the Bruins were missing David Krejci (knee). Spooner will be a restricted free agent this summer, so the Bruins are in a position to re-sign him if that's what they want, but he might have fallen out of favor.

Spooner was scratched for Game 5, but there was a chance he would draw back into the lineup given that David Krejci isn't available. Boston decided to go with Matt Beleskey instead though. Spooner isn't 100% healthy, but he's good enough that he could play if called upon.

Whether or not Spooner is a healthy scratch is a matter of interpretation. Spooner is less than 100%, but he could play through the ailment if asked. However, the Bruins have decided to dress Sean Kuraly instead.

Ryan Spooner is expected to center Boston's second line in Game 2 against Ottawa.

Spooner is being given more responsibility because of the injury to David Krejci. David Backes and Drew Stafford are expected to be his wingers. "I think as a line, if we just get some pucks to the net, we’ll be fine. If we try to get cute, it’s not going to work for us," said Spooner. With Game 1 being so tight, the Bruins will need their second line to produce offense at some point.

Four of those helpers have come on the power play. Spooner played 9:51 of his 14:51 of total ice time during even strength on Saturday. His struggles at five-on-five lately may have something to do with the concussion he recovered from recently. Still, his ability to produce on the man advantage is encouraging.

Depth Charts

Patrice Bergeron picked up a pair of points in Monday's 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

Bergeron registered the only assist on Anders Bjork's first-period goal to make it 3-0. He then added an insurance goal in the third period to make it 4-2 for Boston. Bergeron remains one of the best two-way centers in the game. The 32-year-old had 21 goals and 53 points in 79 games with Boston last season.

Krejci suffered a lower-body injury in Friday's game. He had 23 goals and 54 points in 82 regular season games, but had been held off the scoresheet in three playoff contests. The Bruins need to win Game 6 to stay alive in the first round.

It is indeed a one-year deal worth $2.825 million, which was initially reported by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman this morning. "We are pleased with the process and are happy to have Ryan's contract resolved. His agent, Murray Kuntz, and Ryan were both very professional, and our group was well prepared as they had worked very diligently prior to arriving at a settlement point," said GM Don Sweeney. "We know Ryan has the offensive skills to be an impactful player, especially while on the power play. We expect Ryan to continue to take the necessary steps with his development to be an even more complete, two-way player." Spooner took a step back last season with 39 points in 78 games after he had 49 points over 80 matches in 2015-16. He will have to be better this year because the Bruins have other players in the pipeline looking to move up and take his place.

Czarnik got his first taste of NHL action last season, as he had five goals and eight assists in 49 games. The 24-year-old has a good shot of earning a roster spot with the Bruins this season, but he won’t have any value in standard fantasy leagues.

Brad Marchand was pretty outspoken about new face-off enforcement to be implimented this season.

Article 76.4 of the NHL rulebook states that during faceoffs, "the players taking part shall take their position so that they will stand squarely facing the opponent's end of the rink, and clear of the ice markings [where applicable]."The NHL is going to enforce this rule more stringently this season. Centers who violate the rule will be given a two-minute penalty. Marchand and many others are not happy with the NHL's new approach. "The game is something I love and this is completely taking away from it. It’s not just me. I’m the only one saying it. A lot of guys are opposed to it. I’m just saying something about it," said Marchand. If your league values penalty minutes, you may want to stock up on centers for the first few weeks of the season as the players get accustomed to the NHL's new enforcement protocols.

It appears as though Anders Bjork will start the year with Boston and it could be on the same line as Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand.

Coach Bruce Cassidy was asked if Bjork looks like he belongs on the team and he said: "Yes, sure does to me. Again, the competition will stiffen for him and we'll keep evaluating that. He has skill, speed, and he's got courage. He gets to the dirty areas. He is hard to play against. He gives second effort on pucks. It's not one and done with him, and for a young kid, that's special, to be able to hang in there and battle for those turnovers. That's usually the part of the game you have to continue to grind on them — but he has a lot of that. I'd like to think some of that is Bergy and Marchy's influence." Bjork is still learning, but he has the talent and the opportunity to get his pro career off to a strong start.

Kuraly performed well in the playoffs last year after he appeared in eight matches with the big club during the regular season. "It starts all over again," he said. "Did I help myself by scoring two goals in the playoffs and playing my role? Absolutely. But it really does start over. We have so many good, young players going to camp." Kuraly has been trying to improve his skating over the summer and knows he'll have to be good at both ends of the ice to play regularly at the NHL level.

Frank Vatrano wants to improve and get off to a better start in 2017-18.

"I learned a lot this year. Obviously being up the whole year has really helped me," said Vatrano. "You see what guys do on a daily basis, but to be around it the entire year and see the commitment that everyone has in this room is awesome. And everyone in this room, everyone has the same goals. For me, I want to be a complete player and become a top-six guy and show that I'm reliable in the defensive zone and not just a one-dimensional player." He didn't get to make his debut until Dec. 22 because he tore ligaments in his foot. Vatrano posted 10 goals and 18 points in 44 games.

Matt Beleskey (foot) was able to participate in Saturday's preseason game.

Beleskey was injured on Monday, but fortunately it wasn't serious. "I definitely did not want a broken foot to start the year, so I’m glad that I was fine," said Beleskey. "I took a puck in the face during warm-ups and the shot to the foot in the third, so that’s quite a good start to the year. But hopefully, I’ve got those out of the way now." He had three goals and eight points in 49 games last season.

He got the marker on a 2-on-1 shorthanded rush with Noel Acciari. Schaller had seven goals and 14 points in 59 games with the Bruins last season. Jesse Gabrielle and Anders Bjork had the other goals for Boston in the contest.

Jake DeBrusk will play on a line with David Krejci and David Pastrnak in Tuesday's exhibition game against Detroit.

DeBrusk has been working with Krejci for the first five days of training camp. "I'm feeling good, excited to put on the jersey again and play at the Garden. We see each other every day, and we know how good we all are. I saw a couple of [young] guys get on the board last night with a big comeback win," he said referring to fellow roster hopefuls Anders Bjork and Jesse Gabrielle. "So they kind of set the tone and we're expecting the same result for sure. I just want to show that I can stay there, that I can play on that line and that I belong in that [top-six] area."

The talented winger flew in from Europe Friday and will take his physical Saturday after signing a six-year, $40 million contract on Thursday. Pastrnak is slated to play on a line with David Krejci and should continue to develop into a point-per-game player making him a top 30 fantasy forward this season.

It seems the Bruins are content to play David Backes on their third line.

Coach Bruce Cassidy really seems to want Anders Bjork to be his first-line right winger alongside Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk as his second-line left winger alongside David Krejci and David Pasternak. That leaves Backes on the third unit with wingers that still need to be determined. The primary candidates to play with Backes are Ryan Spooer and Frank Vatrano, though Sean Kuraly and Riley Nash could figure in. Either way, Backes' fantasy value is detrimentaly impacted by this slotting. We still love Backes' combination of offensive skill and ruggedness but can't recommend him to fantasy participants unless playing in the deepest of pools.

Nash has played alongside Noel Acciari for most of training camp and he is expected to play a key role on the penalty kill. He hopes to provide more offense this year after he contributed just seven goals and 17 points in 81 games in 2016-17.

Noel Acciari has signed a two-year, one-way deal with Boston worth $1.45 million.

Acciari was slated to be a restricted free agent on July 1. He produced two goals and five points in 29 games for Boston last season. Acciari also had 14 points in 30 AHL appearances. He is projected to play on the fourth line in 2017-18.

Torey Krug sustained a non-displaced fracture to the jaw when he was struck by the puck on Tuesday.

Krug is expected to be sidelined for at least three weeks as a result. That unfortunately means that he'll miss the start of the season as well as the remainder of training camp. If he is out for the minimum of three weeks then he'll only miss three regular season contests. He had eight goals and 51 points in 81 games last season.

Charlie McAvoy is expected to get an increased role on the power play at the beginning of the 2017-18 season.

Torey Krug will miss the start of the year because of a non-displaced fracture to his jaw, so McAvoy will get a chance to skate on the top unit. He has been practicing alongside Ryan Spooner on the points with Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak up front.

Brandon Carlo is preparing for his sophomore campaign in the NHL after exceeding expectations in 2016-17.

Carlo is ahead of where Boston expected him to be and he wants to continue heading in the right direction. "For myself, an opportunity opened up at the beginning of the year," he said. "It was great for me to take advantage of that. I exceeded my own expectations of where I was going to be this year. I'm more confident and ready. We have good youth and good leadership. It should be a really good year." Carlo sustained a concussion in the last game of the regular season and didn't get to play in the playoffs. He felt more like himself about a week after the Bruins were eliminated. Boston would like to see him rush up the ice with the puck more this campaign and get more involved offensively even though he has shown he is capable of serving in a shutdown role.

Adam McQuaid hopes that he hasn't played his last game with Boston with the expansion draft fast approaching.

"I hope not. I never thought of it that way, to be honest with you," McQuaid said. "The reality is that they're picking someone from every team. I hope that's not the case for me. I want to be back here and I've always said how much I love it here. I can't imagine playing for another team." The Bruins will have to decide who to protect with McQuaid, Kevan Miller and Colin Miller as potential candidates for Vegas. He suffered a neck injury in Game 2 of the playoffs and he wasn't able to play in the last four games of the series.

Miller played through the pain in Boston's first-round series against Ottawa, but the fact that he doesn't need to go under the knife is good news for his odds of being healthy at the start of next season.

Newly-signed Paul Postma may be able to switch to the left side in order to fill a Bruin need.

Boston has a very strong right-shot defense but needs some help on the left side. Postma, who normally shoots right-handed, has had some experience in junior hockey shooting from the left. If Postma can make that switch, he may be able to carve out a spot on the Bruins' third pairing. If he can do that, he may also get some power-play ice time as Boston GM Don Sweeney seems intrigued by his heavy shot and power-play work in the minors. Keep an eye on Postma during training camp.

Matthew Grzelcyk could start the regular season with the Boston Bruins.

Grzelcyk, who is a left shot defender, will get a chance to secure an NHL roster spot because Torey Krug will be sidelined for at least three weeks due to a non-displaced jaw fracture. He saw some time on the point on the team's top power-play unit at practice. Grzelcyk will face competition from Rob O'Gara and Jakub Zboril for the vacant defense position.

Look for Tuukka Rask to be more active in the Bruins' net this season.

Boston coach Bruce Cassidy wants Rask to come out of his net and clear out dump-ins with more regularity this season. "I’m not asking him to be a third defenseman, a la Marty Brodeur in his day, but to be able to get out there and stop some pucks and place them for the (defensemen). That would be one more threat and one more angle the forecheck has to take and that can help us," the coach said. "Have some confidence to get out there. I think Tuukka makes good decisions with it and handles it just fine, but I’d like to see him be a little more proactive in that regard." Perhaps that approach will help Rask's fantasy numbers a little.

Anton Khudobin has a leg up on his competition for the Bruins' backup goalie gig.

So says Boston coach Bruce Cassidy. Zane McIntyre is Khudobin's main competitor, though Malcolm Subban is also in the mix. With a 20-stop win over the Red Wings on Tuesday, Khudobin has put hismself in a position to claim the job.

Malcolm Subban could get the start in Monday's preseason game against Chicago.

Boston wants to see if Subban can push Anton Khudobin for the backup goalie position going into the regular season. Khudobin remains the favorite to earn the role and Zane McIntyre was sent down to the minors on Sunday.